My summer adventure started once I had said good-bye to Dan and Duke at the airport in Malaga, from where I was catching a flight to Paris. Six wonderful days with my sister and some more sightseeing of the city, before it was time to catch the plane for Sweden. I arrived just for Midsummer Eve celebrations and was able to meet quite a few relatives and friends, who had come home to Korsheden also for just this occasion. I soon settled in with the daily routine my mom and dad had shaped for themselves, and it felt so good not having to be concerned over the weather any more. As it turned out, this summer was going to be a record warm and dry summer, nothing like it for 101 years! When I first arrived, we had a few days of rain, but then hardly a drop fell during July and August! Since it was warm for days on end, the fresh-water lake, up the road from my parent's house, warmed up to a reasonable temperature, so my cousin Mildred and I tried to go swimming every evening. That was most refreshing and it felt great to be able to swim across the lake for some exercise. I tried to help my parents with chores they couldn't manage on their own, but most of the time was leisure time. After I had played solitaire for so long, I felt I needed something else to occupy myself with. My aunt Siv was crocheting a Christmas tablecloth, and since I hadn't done anything like that for years, it looked like fun. Some red yarn was bought and soon the crocheting was in full swing. It didn't take long before I had finished a long table-runner and was looking for more yarn. This time I chose white and a different pattern!

On two different occasions my parents and I joined other senior citizens for a bus tour; the first one took us to Steninge Castle close to Stockholm, where we enjoyed a guided tour of the small castle. Coffee and food was also included, as well as games and fun on the bus. The second trip brought us to Skultuna and a brass factory. This particular brass factory is the only one that has been in operation continuously for almost 400 years; only about four years to go! In this factory they make beautiful things out of brass, like lights for churches, candle holders of every size, but of a particular old pattern, dinnerware, goblets, eating and serving utensils, plus numerous ornaments and knick-knacks. The brass factory also had another division, where they made stainless steel pots and pans, serving bowls and dishes, plus utensils; anyone of these items, brass or stainless, were available for purchase! The prices on the brass items were a bit steep, so I only bought a few small samples from the stainless steel room, plus a very nicely decorated Swedish 2003 calendar! Later on we had a visit to Tido castle, where Sweden's toy museum is located. Over 35,000 individual items are displayed here! We could feast our eyes on royal toys that had been played with or made by Sweden's royalty. Dolls of every shape and size, fully decorated doll-houses, train-sets, cars of every model, shape and size, riding toys, pedaling toys, pull toys, paper-dolls and everything imaginable that a child could have played with long ago and forward to modern times, were on display. Both trips showed me something new from my country that I hadn't seen before, and both trips were immensely enjoyable.

Visiting with my parents, my brothers, sister and their families, aunts, uncles and cousins, plus my old friends was the most important pass time, and while so doing the days, weeks and months soon disappeared. Before I knew it, I got a call from Dan; he had arrived to Gothenburg, and expected me there as soon as possible. My oldest brother, Germund, his wife, Inger and my parents drove me to Gothenburg on Saturday August 31. After dinner onboard and some last pictures snapped, it was time to say thank you for my wonderful summer, hug everybody and try to let go of my parents. That was very hard and the tears flowed freely, but of course they had to return north to Dalarna and we needed to head south for warmer climates.

Before we let go of the dock at the marina in Naset, near Gothenburg, the boat had to be organized again; I had arrived with all my stuff and food, which needed to be stowed away. Dan also gave me a brief run-down on his and Duke's experiences since I left them in Malaga over two months earlier.

Dan and Duke's experiences didn't start out very good. When they returned to La Linea after seeing me off, our dinghy was nowhere to be seen! Someone had stolen it while Dan dropped me off. Luckily Dan and Duke got a ride out to our boat, and later on another cruiser thought he had seen our dinghy floating in the water on the other side of the small marina in La Linea harbor. There it was, minus the new motor, extension handle and gas-can, but at least they had the dinghy back! Shortly after that episode, they left Gibraltar behind and worked their way over to Portugal's southern coast, where they stayed on anchor until they thought the weather to be in their favor for continuing towards Ireland. It wasn't, so about 200 miles out from the coast, they ended up hanging on the sea-anchor for 48 hours sitting out some strong winds and high waves. On the third day, when Dan was able to connect with Southbound II, the Canadian weatherman, he told Dan to hurry up and head west, as even stronger winds were arriving in the area. That's what Dan and Duke did and eventually ended up on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The windlass needed to be repaired, before they could leave for Ireland, but after about one week on the island they were ready to head out again. Eventually they reached Ireland and made landfall at Crosshaven, where repairs to the rigging needed to be taken care of. More rigging repairs needed fixing while on their way again, so they pulled into a local fishing harbor, which went completely dry at low tide! Dan said the people along this coast of Ireland lived by the tide coming and going! A very friendly Irishman helped Dan to get the repairs done, and soon they were heading out for Belfast. Since Belfast at this time was having disturbances, Dan decided not to visit that port, but anchored out behind a small island instead. From there they worked their way up through some narrow channels, where the tide ran strong and the visibility was reduced to zero by fog. Dan said, he held his breath for 45 minutes, while trying to navigate the boat through this! They did make it through and continued their way up to Fort Williams, where the Caledonian Canal starts or ends, depending from which direction you are coming! The charge for our boat to go through the Caledonian Canal was 160 pounds, not cheap, but worth it, according to Dan. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was great during the three days it took them to cross. No Loch Ness monster showed itself, even if Dan had the camera ready! The northern end of the canal came out at Inverness, and from there Dan and Duke had a fairly smooth crossing of the North Sea and arrived in Mandal, Norway. More rigging repairs needed to be done in Norway; most of our rigging is original on the boat, and after 15 years it's starting to show fatigue. Once the repairs were done, Stress Relief was free to continue, but then the winds didn't cooperate. Another week was spent on anchor in Norway, before the winds changed and blew them over to Sweden, and in particular to Naset, south of Gothenburg, where we had our reunion.

I was happy to see both Dan and Duke again, but the boat I could have done without. Of course we needed the boat to get back home to the US, so with a heavy heart I waved good-bye to Sweden on Sunday, September 1, when we left Sweden behind and started our long journey homeward bound!

The coast around Gothenburg is dotted with huge rocks, which stick up out of the water, and luckily it was still daylight when we went through them. By nightfall we were well away from the coastline and heading south towards Copenhagen in Denmark. The following afternoon we passed between Sweden and Denmark at its narrowest point, which is at Helsingor-Helsingborg. The passage was no more than one mile wide, and of course numerous ferries scurried across. We slunk through and by nightfall we had arrived to Copenhagen, but since no one was about in the marina, we opted to anchor offshore for the night. The following morning we found a spot along the visitor's quay in Svanemulle Marina, and there we stayed tied up for a few days. A train ride brought us into the city, but since neither Dan nor I knew much about Copenhagen, we only ended up visiting Tivoli, which is sort of an amusement park. What amazed us the most about Copenhagen, were the bicycles! There were more people on bicycles in the city than in cars, and in crossing the streets, we had to watch out for the bicycles first. The bicycles were allotted part of the street, and they zoomed along faster than the cars. Hundreds and hundreds of every imaginable bicycle were tied up at the train stations, and it was evident that the Danes relied on their bikes much more than on their cars!

More food was stored onboard, clothes washed and it was time to head for Kiel Canal! Forty hours later, we had arrived to the entrance of the Kiel Canal, gone into the lock, paid for our boat, about $17.00, and traveled eight miles along until we reached a designated anchorage, where we stopped. Since both Dan and I were tired after our trip from Denmark, we thought a rest during the day and night would do us good, and it felt wonderful to be sitting still on anchor. Small "sport" boats, as ours is called, were not allowed to travel after dark anyway, so by nightfall many more boats had come into our anchorage for the night. The Kiel Canal is about 60 miles long, wide enough for two big ships to meet at certain areas, as the big ships are controlled by traffic lights along the banks. The big ships travel in the middle of the canal if they are not meeting another ship, so we had to keep out of the way. We could go almost all the way up to the banks and not once were we in trouble. Small ferries scurried across from one side of the canal to the other, carrying cars and people. The ferries always waited until all the boats had passed, even our slow boat, before they crossed. One hanging ferry waited for our boat to pass, before it dangled across the canal with a bunch of German motorcycle riders onboard. By early evening we had reached the end of Kiel Canal at Brunsbuttel, where we tied up to a floating dock in the marina, next to one of the locks.

In Brunsbuttel we checked the weather on the Internet, sent some emails to let people know how far we had come, bought some more groceries and checked the best time to leave the canal behind. Two days we spent in the marina by the locks in Brunsbuttel, before we decided to continue on the outgoing tide on September 10th. Stress Relief and another sailboat were allowed to enter the lock behind two big ships. The heavy portal closed behind us, and the water level inside the lock was raised to match the river Elbe, which flowed by on the other side of the locks. The portal opened in front and the two small sailboats hurried out before the bigger ships had a chance to move. We didn't want to be caught in their prop-wash! The river Elbe looked immense, as we could not see from shore to shore, but by looking at the charts we knew that at high tide it covered numerous sandbars, so we stayed within the buoyed channel. When we first came into the river, it stilled flowed in-land, but soon the tide changed and the water started picking up speed as it hurried out to the ocean. The alternator on the engine gave out, and since we hadn't passed Cuxhaven yet, we decided to seek shelter in one of the marinas there. By the time we reached the entrance to the marina, the river flowed at its fastest, about 4 knots, so we shot through the opening into the marina sideways, and then hardly making it! Once inside the water calmed right down, and we were able to tie up to a pontoon. The following day Dan was able to repair the alternator with parts from another one, and the rest of the day we spent visiting with a very interesting German sailor, named Walter Stoffers. He had lived in the US for four years and spoke very good English. Now he was heading back home to Kiel, in his hand-built sailboat, after a holiday to Holland!

On Thursday September 12, by 0645 we had cast off from the pontoons in Cuxhaven, stuck our nose out through the opening, and noticed that the river ran pretty docile at the moment. It was still coming in but slowing down considerably, so we had no problem getting out and away from the walls. Once the tide changed, we were far out in the shipping lanes heading for Holland. That day we had really good sailing, northeast 10-15 knot winds, very comfortable. After 24 hours sailing we had come 126 miles, and then the winds died down. From then on we motored-sailed, and in so doing we were able to reach a safe anchorage inside Ijsselmeer by nightfall! First we cut off a good chunk of the way by threading lightly across some sandbars outside Terschelling Island. Dan sat by the computer and looked on his navigation program, hollered to me where to steer, and so we picked our way over the shallow spots, before we came out into deeper water again. Even though it looked to be water everywhere between the island and mainland Holland, we had to keep within the buoyed channel. At high tide all the sandbars were covered, but at low tide they lay high and dry. We chose the main channel towards Hardingen, before a smaller marked channel took off to the right; that channel brought us to the outside of the northern locks into Ijsselmeer, the big fresh water lake. A short wait before the road bridge opened and we could enter the lock. The water level sank about one foot before the doors opened on the other side, and we were inside Ijsselmeer! All the canals and locks are free in Holland; maybe because it's so many of them and would probably congest everything if you had to stop and pay! We had arrived in Holland, and since we now were anchored in the lake, we needn't concern ourselves with the tide for awhile!

After a good nights sleep we awoke to a hazy sky, so we were in no hurry to continue. Later on, when northerly winds started blowing, we decided to pull up anchor and head across the lake to the next lock. Seems everyone in Holland had the same idea; I had never in my whole life seen so many boats in one lake! They criss-crossed in front, on the sides and in the back of us, so finally I couldn't take it anymore. I had to sit and stare out back, so I wouldn't see what was coming at us from the front! I was totally exhausted by the late afternoon, when we reached a safe anchorage inside a marina before the locks at Enkhuizen. As soon as we were anchored, Dan dropped me ashore. I wanted to find a phone and call our friends Rene and Wendy, which I did, and later on that evening we had a very nice long reunion with them. Last time we saw them was on Sardinia in June 2001; since then they had sold their boat and returned to the working world at home in Holland.

Rene and Wendy stayed on board for awhile, but since they had about one hour drive back to their apartment, they left us at midnight. We had decided to meet them the following day, but farther south in the lake and closer to Amsterdam. We were ready to go through the lock at Enkhuizen by 0830 and only one other boat did the same. Soon we were in the part of Ijsselmeer called Markerwaard, heading southeast towards Naarden. As soon as the day wore on, this part of the lake also filled up with boats, and at the entrance to the river that flows up by Naarden, it seems a regatta was going on. In that mess we met up with Rene and Wendy in their new, but smaller, sailboat. Eventually we made our way over to an anchorage behind a marina, where we enjoyed supper and a nice visit. Dan and Rene were discussing the possibility of our boat passing under a stationary bridge, with an official clearance of 12.8 meters! If it did, it opened up safer anchorage for us, plus we would be closer to other marinas, where we could organize our boat-part search from. I was not keen on trying to pass under the bridge, as Dan had told me before, that we needed about 15 meters to be on the safe side, and now they wanted to try in only 12.8! I could not stay onboard, so I went with Wendy in their boat, and we went ahead. Rene climbed the mast on Stress Relief, and ever so slowly Dan inched our boat up to the bridge. It wasn't until about five feet away from the bridge, that Rene could say for certain that the mast would pass under. Slowly, and with no wake, our boat emerged unscathed on the other side. What a relief that was! We had made it under the bridge in 12.3 meters clearance, and that number we would have to remember on our way out later on! Wendy and I went ahead to a small island, where we waited for Dan and Rene on Stress Relief, and once they arrived, we tied our boat up alongside the quay. Rene told us, that our mast passed under the bridge with about a half meter clearance, but the VHF antenna scraped the bridge. He said numerous other antennas had scraped the bottom of the bridge also. Rene and Wendy stayed for a short visit, but since it was a working day for them the following day, they soon said so long and headed across the river to their marina in Naarden.

On Monday morning we motored to the marina at Almere Haven on the north shore of the river, and there we topped off our fuel tanks. We also tied up to their dock for four nights, as we planned to stay there until some broken parts were fixed. When we left the boat to walk the short distance into town, we felt really strange walking downhill into the center. The marina was higher up than the town, and the town was protected by a thick dike, hence the downhill into town. This part of Holland was fairly new; it was re-claimed land from the sea, and had only been in existence for about 35 years. We found our way to the tourist information and asked about the Raytheon repair center, where we hoped our automatic pilots could be fixed. Seemed the repair center was way outside the town, and pretty confusing to explain to us how to get there, but not to worry, we got a ride from a very nice policeman! Once we were dropped off at the repair center and walked inside, we found out that this particular place no longer serviced Raytheon parts. A long walk back without accomplishing anything, we thought! Not so, the manager offered us a ride back to the marina, which we gladly accepted! We had found out that the new Raytheon repair center was located in Appeldorn, and to get there we needed a car. A small car was rented for three days, and it brought us to all the spots we needed to go. The auto-pilots were dropped off, a new salt water pump for the Yanmar engine was ordered, plus odds and ends picked out at the marine store. Since they wouldn't take credit cards in the marine store, we were forced to leave our purchases on the counter till the next day, when we returned with cash! On our ride out to Appeldorn, we had driven different roads back to our boat, and in so doing we got to see a little of the Dutch country side. We were most amazed over the orderly manner everything seemed to comply to! Nothing haphazard about the farms, the fields, the towns and cities! Here and there we also noticed farmhouses, and regular houses for that matter, that had straw roofs! According to Rene, a straw roof is a status symbol and shows that you are well off, as no ordinary person could afford such a roof. About every ten years the roof has to be replaced at a mere cost of 100,000 dollars! We actually traveled uphill once, and along the road grew tall pine trees. Sometimes the crowns of the trees were so close together, that no light reached through to the ground, and consequently nothing grew there. Canals, in different sizes, were everywhere. Sometimes it was just a small ditch, but even that served as a border between fields, as the cattle or sheep would not cross it. Once we even drove under a canal, and it was strange seeing a sailboat pass above us! The big auto roads looked just like our interstate roads, but the smaller roads were just that, small! We didn't even think they were roads at first! The bicycles in Holland also had their own asphalt paths, and from where we were in Almere Haven, we saw a sign that pointed to Amsterdam 24 kilometers away!

During our four days stay in Almere Haven we were visited by Rene and Wendy one evening. We dropped off and picked up our repaired automatic pilots, plus all the other needed parts for the boat, returned the car, and on Friday, September 20, we crossed the river over to the marina in Naarden, where we tied up to a nice, long, grass covered quay. There we spent the rest of our stay in Holland, and that's where my sister, Gugge came to visit.

Friday evening we got picked up by Rene, who took us for a ride around their old neighborhood in Naarden, plus showed us the wealthier side of town, where stately homes nestled amongst the trees and shrubbery. We were brought to their nice new and modern apartment in Bussum, where Wendy was preparing some delicious Mexican food for us, and there we stayed and visited and watched a movie on their super stereo system. Rene and Wendy brought us back to our boat later on in Rene's company car, a brand new Saab. Before they returned to their apartment, Rene promised to pick us up the following morning and take us to the train station in Weesp, where we could catch the train for Amsterdam. My sister was arriving about noon, and I wanted to be at the station to meet her!

We just arrived to the platform, where the train from Paris already had stopped, and soon my sister was located amongst a bunch of rowdy Frenchmen on holiday. Gugge had a small bag with her, which we stuffed into a locker in the train station. We didn't want to carry it along on our exploration of Amsterdam! Since Gugge had lived in Amsterdam for about one month seven years ago, she remembered some of the worthwhile sights in the city. The first one we located was Anne Franks' House! The line to go inside the museum was very long, so we decided that we would be satisfied by just seeing the outside of the building! Our wanderings brought us over numerous canals, where glass-covered canal boats were taking tourists for a ride. We found our way over to the "flower street", where every imaginable flower and bulb could be bought. Gugge was looking for some different tulip bulbs for her boss, and she chose four different colors. I wanted to buy some for me, but the salesman said the bulbs had to be planted before December, so that was out. I settled for three pairs of small Dutch wooden shoes instead! Small stores also lined this street, and here you could buy all kinds of souvenirs. One store even sold psychedelic mushrooms and anything for the drug scene, if you so choose, and at several "coffee houses" we walked by, a very strong smell emerged, and it was not coffee!

We decided to find our way to the Rijksmuseum, go inside and have a look at some of the famous paintings, which are housed inside. It was well worth it, and we enjoyed walking around seeking out "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt. It was a huge painting, which had to be cut down some, in order to get it inside the building. "The Kitchen Maid" by van Gogh was equally impressive, as was his self-portrait. The portrait showed a man who looked like a lunatic, and supposedly in his old age he became insane! There was not only paintings in the museum, but furniture and house-ware from all over the world, some so fancy it was hard to believe they were genuine. We had stayed till closing and got shooed out by the watchmen, and by then it was time to start heading back towards the train station.

As we found our way back to Dam Square, we saw lots of people lining the cordoned-off square and wondered what was going on? A helicopter soon passed overhead and set down in the middle of the square. Were the royalty arriving to their castle, which we were standing right in front of? Not so, but instead we thought it to be a medical emergency. We saw a young lady get out of the helicopter, place an insulated bag on the back of a police motorcycle, hop on herself and off they went down the street with sirens blasting. Soon the people started moving on and so did we. We zig-zagged in and out of smaller streets, but when we neared the train station, we walked out to a big street, where lots of restaurants and stores were located. There we found a pizza restaurant, where we stopped for some delicious pizza and beer. Gugge's bag was retrieved from the locker at the train station, her ticket bought, and soon we sat on the train that brought us back to Weesp and Rene, who was waiting to drive us back to the boat. Rene dropped us off and went back to their apartment to pick up Wendy, and soon all five of us were drinking wine and having a great time onboard our boat.

Sunday was a leisure day with lots of visiting with my sister, and in the evening Rene and Wendy came to pick us up and take us for a nice long drive in the country, before they returned to our boat with us and stayed for supper. Monday was a laundry day for me, along with visiting with Gugge of course, who would soon be leaving us. Since both Rene and Wendy were working that day, they had asked their friend, Joop, if he could drive Gugge to the train station? Joop arrived about 1400, stayed for a cup of coffee and a short visit, before it was time to hug my sister good-bye and thank Joop for being so kind, and so they were gone! We had planned on taking our boat into Amsterdam and drop Gugge at the train station, but since the winds were blowing from northwest, they were pushing the water higher in this part of the river, and both Dan and Rene didn't think we could pass under the bridge. Therefore we had to rely on Joop and his kindness! Rene and Wendy stopped by on Monday evening to say good-bye to us, and they gave us a going-away present. Six brand new wineglasses and a chew bone for Duke! How kind and thoughtful, and I guess they felt sorry for me having to drink wine out of a coffee-cup. We had had four wineglasses, but one had broken and was never replaced! Anyway, now we could have nine people for wine! Lots of hugs and kisses to them and a great big thank you for making our visit to Holland so wonderful, and so they disappeared into the dark night and we were left all alone once more.

Before daybreak on Tuesday, September 24, we were up and about and as soon as it was light enough for us to see, we cast off the dock at Naarden and headed out from the marina. Once we were out in the open river, the wind blew quite strong, but from northeast, and we proceeded up to the bridge to check the clearance. It showed 12. 4 meters, so Dan felt it safe to pass under. We did without any problems, and soon we were out in the open again and heading over to the canal that passes through Amsterdam! On our way to the lock, we met and were passed by numerous flat-bottomed canal boats, which carried freight and all kinds of things across the lake to northern shores. It was kind of hard to see these boats until they were very close, as they blended right into the waves and water, and only the tip of the nose and the wheel-house stuck up! Shortly before 0900 we had arrived to the bridge before the locks into the city, and since we didn't know when it would open, Dan called the Canal Master on the VHF. At 0900 they would open the bridge for us, and at that time ours was the only boat waiting to pass through. The canal boats are low enough, so they can pass under the bridge even if it's closed! As soon as we had passed under the bridge, we went and tied up to the pontoon, where we waited for the lock to open. I had barley hopped off the boat and tied it up, before I noticed the light change to red over green, and that meant the lock was getting ready to open. A small powerboat came into the lock with us before the lock closed, and we emerged inside the main canal through Amsterdam!

It took us about five hours to travel the entire distance of the Noordzeekanaal and reach Ijmuiden. It had been a nice trip and since the canal wasn't that busy, we could take our time and look around. All along the main canal, smaller canals branched off, and around Amsterdam the canals fan out one behind the other in sort of a semi-circle. The canals were built to protect the city from enemies, and I guess when the city grew, new canals had to be dug. Once we had passed through the city, the main canal wound its way along the countryside, before it reached the hotel infested city of Ijmuiden by the North Sea. There we passed through the last lock in Holland, and soon we were powering out from the huge seaport and aimed for the racon-buoy outside the entrance to the channel. As we were leaving Holland behind, we had northeasterly winds for awhile, and the tide was in our favor, but both those conditions would soon change. As night fell, the winds decided to change to northwest and increase some, but it was still manageable and we sailed on. During the day on Wednesday the northwesterly winds picked up to 20-25 knots and we zoomed along, not very comfortable, so both I and Dan felt a bit queasy. Besides, I had a terrible headache, which I seem to get once the boat is moving too fast for my equilibrium to keep up with! By 1400 on Wednesday we had reached the Dover Strait, and since the tide was coming against us by then, it took us all day to cross the Strait and end up along the south coast of England. Numerous ships came and went in the Strait, but none posed a problem for us! People had warned us about the North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel, but so far none had reared its ugly head against us, and I was very thankful for that. I guess we had chosen a good weather window for this portion of our journey! By Thursday morning, after a very uncomfortable and bouncy night, I couldn't take it anymore. I had tried to sit on the toilet, but been bounced off, Duke was a nervous wreck and couldn't find a peaceful, still spot anywhere, so I told Dan I wanted to find a calm spot and sit still for awhile. After looking in our Nautical Almanac, we decided to head for the beach at Eastbourne, where it showed an anchorage! As soon as Dan had turned the boat around, both Duke and I calmed down, along with the boat, and soon we sat still on anchor; what a relief! We had about six hours rest, before the winds slowed down and changed to north and we thought it wise to continue. From Eastbourne we sailed all the way to Falmouth, and not much of the English coastline could be seen; it was too hazy during the days. We did see very high, white cliffs west of Eastbourne at Beachy Head and they were impressive, as well as the high rolling hills behind. What struck me the most was the absence of trees on the rolling hills; only in the valleys or lowlands by the sea could we see groves of trees! By early afternoon on Saturday, September 28 we anchored in the Yacht Harbor in Falmouth, and there we would stay until the crossing of the Bay of Biscay could be started! We had sailed and motor-sailed about 425 miles from leaving Naarden in Holland, and it was a good chunk taken off our trip, but even so we were looking at more than that to cross the Bay of Biscay, which was another spot people had warned us about!

Our days in Falmouth were busy with locating the Internet Caf'e, the ATM-machines so we could get pounds, as England, along with Sweden and Denmark were the only countries to chose not to change their currency to Euros. Some sightseeing in the city we also managed, and I found a dentist who repaired a broken filling in one of my molars. What a pain in the neck these simple tasks turn out to be when you are not at home where everything is readily available. One memorable day, when I had been to the post office and mailed a letter and some postcards, I returned outdoors. At that precise moment, a dove high above on the roof, decided to relieve itself, and in so doing the "relief" fell onto my right hand, spattered onto my sweatshirt and wallet! I couldn't believe what I felt and saw, but there the mess was and I was helpless to do anything about it right away. All I could do was complain and look disgusted! A local man walked by and saw my disgusted look, so he asked what was the matter? Once I showed him my hand he knew and said to be shit upon meant luck! What luck, something I surely could do without! A seagull had hit his target on my head years earlier, even a pelican in Florida had hit his target on my shirt, and now this English dove; where would it end? Dan helped me to get a tissue out of my pocket, so I at least could clean off somewhat, but later on when we were onboard again, I thoroughly washed my hands and arms; YUK!

The weather looked so and so about continuing across the Bay of Biscay, but when we finally connected with Southbound II and got Herb's input about the weather, we decided that on Thursday morning, October 3 would be a good day as any to try and cross. The winds were very light from the northwest to begin with, so for 36 hours we motor-sailed along. By Friday evening the winds had changed and picked up in speed, so we could sail only. At night we saw the racon buoys and lights of Brest, on the French coast, and we were right at the edge of the northbound shipping lanes around the treacherous area. The winds soon changed and came from northeast and a bit lumpy it got at once. Saturday was too lumpy to do anything but sit still and hold on, and both Duke and I were not happy. By the third full 24-hour day we had come 367 miles and continued with reefed genoa in 18-25 knot east-southeasterly winds. In the evening, when we connected with Southbound II, we were about 55 miles from Cabo Finisterre, on Spain's northwestern shore. By then the winds had slowed down to nothing, and the sea was smooth! That also meant the fog would arrive, which it did, and we went through one of those dreary, dark and see nothing nights. Of course our radars saw plenty, but with my own eyes I could see nothing. No stars to shine our way, no moon either, and pitch black outside the cockpit - not very pleasant. Slowly the land started showing itself on our radars, and even some bright racon buoys with flashing light broke through the eerieness, and of course they looked much closer than they actually were. The closest we came to shore was about three miles, and that was well above Cabo Finisterre. When Dan had talked to Herb, the Canadian weatherman, on Sunday evening, Herb had recommended we seek shelter as soon as possible, as strong southwesterly winds were expected to arrive along the Portuguese coast. When we passed Cabo Finisterre early on Monday morning with no wind, we decided to try and make Bayona, instead of pulling in behind the cape and seeking shelter. By evening we had powered all the way south to Bayona, Spain, where we found good anchorage in their big harbor. We had come about 525 miles across the infamous Bay of Biscay and I for one was glad to have it behind me! It hadn't been as awful as I had expected, but again the luck was with us and not too strong winds attacked us. Maybe that was because of the dove?

It was a bit deep in Bayona anchorage for our chain, but for days we sat secure on the anchor. When the winds started blowing up to 43 knots some days later, we found an unused heavy duty mooring ball, to which we secured two lines. Dan said he felt much better then, than being anchored in 30 feet deep water with only about 120 feet of chain out, which was all the chain we had onboard. That deficiency will be remedied once we return to the US, as Dan then will add at least another one hundred feet of chain!

Two days after our arrival to Bayona, whom did we see come powering into the harbor if not our friend Tom on his boat XTC! We knew he was supposed to leave Cork, Ireland the same day we left Falmouth, but since he had farther to go it took him a little longer! Anyway, it was good to see him again and to know even he made it across Bay of Biscay in one piece! In Bayona we found all the necessities, except a good marine store, but I guess the few items on Dan's list could wait! We walked around the town on several different occasions and looked at all the tourist spots. One Saturday evening we went onboard an exact replica of Columbus' ship Pinta, which made landfall here in Bayona on their return from discovering America. They even had a re-enactment down by the beach, with actors in costumes from 1493, when supposedly Pinta returned with proof of their discovery. Later on that evening we walked up to a huge statue of "Virgin de La Roca", who stands almost 50 feet high on top of a mountain knoll of 330 feet; from there we had a magnificent view over Bayona and all the surrounding area! The Monterreal Fortress, built in the 15th century on a promontory of the old Boi Mountain, and which could be seen from our anchorage, was another interesting site to explore. Down by the sea a cement path had been laid for people to walk on and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and it wound its way all around the outer edges of the fortress. After we had followed that path once, we found our way up and into the fortress, where we climbed some stairs and ended up along the walk high up on the fortress walls. Here we could also walk all the way around the fortress, and from high above we had an even nicer view!

The days were going by fast and every time we checked the weather on the Internet, it showed strong south-westerly wind; of course we didn't want to beat south with that kind of wind! We were still hoping the weather would change and bring nice northerly winds, and that's when we would head south as far as the winds would take us. With that in mind, we might not stop anywhere else along the Spanish or Portuguese coasts, so we decided to rent a car with Tom and do some sightseeing from Bayona. The first day of our three-day rental period, we only drove inland from Bayona. We followed the Interstate north towards Vigo, but after we had paid tolls three times, we decided that was enough and got off on smaller and much more interesting roads. We sort of made a loop inland and followed small, twisting roads as they climbed up and down the mountainsides, but unfortunately the view was very limited, as it was overcast and raining at times. Even so it felt great to get off the boat for awhile.

On a Tuesday morning we got ready and left our boats pretty early, and drove south along the Spanish coast till we reached the town of La Guardia. That is the end of Spain on the Atlantic coast, and there a river is the divider between Spain and Portugal. In order for us to cross over to Portugal, we had to follow the river east until we reached the first bridge, where we crossed into Portugal. No border stops between the countries any longer, just signs showing we had reached another Euro-country and that Portugal welcomed us! We followed the interstate south, until we could get off on smaller roads again, and soon we were driving around in the Portuguese countryside. I wanted to head for Braga, where I wanted to visit Portugal's most spectacular religious sanctuary, Bom Jesus do Monte. When we reached the outskirts of Braga, we of course noticed a Mac Donald sign, and there we stopped for lunch. How nice a Big Mac taste when you haven't eaten one in a long time!

Eventually we found our way to the forested slope east of the city, where Bom Jesus do Monte is situated. At the bottom of the sanctuary you can either choose to walk up all the steps or you can ride in a funicular. A funicular is a sort of elevator, which dates back to 1882. It is hydraulically operated and makes its ascent to the top in about three minutes. Dan wanted to wait for the elevator, but Tom and I wanted to walk all the steps. The entrance portico, where the stairway begins, bears the coat of arms of Dom Rodrigo de Moura Teles, the archbishop who commissioned the building of the sanctuary. The lower section of the stairway is called The Sacred Way, where small chapels depicts Jesus last journey! Once we reached the Escadaria, we had a beautiful view uphill over the staircase built of granite slabs and the whitewashed walls. The view downhill was equally beautiful, as there we could see far away and below to the city of Braga, even if it was a bit overcast and rainy at times. At the beginning of the Escadaria is the fountain of the Five Wounds of Christ, and the rest of the staircase is called the Staircase Of The Five Senses. On each level is a fountain depicting one of the senses; the first one is sight, the second one hearing, then smell, taste and the last one touch. The last staircase before the top is called The Staircase of the Three Virtues; Faith, Hope and Charity. Eventually we reached the top and were awed by the magnificent place! We also went inside the church of Bom Jesus, which was built on the site of a 15th century sanctuary. No Dan and Duke were seen at the top, so soon Tom and I walked back down to the bottom. There in the car Dan and Duke sat waiting for us!

Soon we were on our way again, and since we really didn't have a particular spot to find, we sort of took off on one secondary road after another. Sometimes our map didn't show the small villages we drove through, but enough was recorded on the map so we didn't get lost. Towards late afternoon we started looking for a place to take into for the night. In Chaves, Portugal, we saw a big hotel in the city, but since it didn't look like Duke would be allowed in, we continued on. Before we knew it, we had crossed over into Spain again, and then we could look in our hotel guide, we had brought with us from the car rental place. The closest Inn to us was in a small village called Xironda, or as it is spelled in the English version of our road map, Gironda! It was easier said then done in finding this Xironda! Even though we stopped to ask directions several times, no one seemed to know exactly where this village was! We sort of stumbled our way there, and I could see why not many people had heard about the village; it was situated way out in nowhere! By the time we reached Xironda it was dark and even harder to find our way, and we sure hoped we would be able to find this Inn we were looking for! In the very small town square we finally found the Inn, but every window was dark; now what? Pretty soon a young lady came up to us and asked Tom what we wanted, and once she understood we were looking for room and board, she said to wait and she would make a telephone call to the owners. Five minutes later another lady showed up, and since she had the key to open the doors, we figured she was the owner! It would be no problem for us to get two rooms for the night, and did we also want supper and breakfast the next morning? Of course we were hungry by then, so we eagerly answered yes to both questions! The lady said we could go to our rooms and get settled in, while she and her helper would prepare a meal for us. Some kind of delicious yellow bean soup we got first, with hearty slices of crusty bread, and once we had munched up the appetizer we started on the main meal; that consisted of pork slices, deep fat fried, with French fries and vegetables. For dessert we enjoyed yogurt and green apples and of course we had wine with the meal! A very delicious and filling meal, so soon we were stuffed and waddled off to our bedrooms. A hot shower first felt great, and soon we were huddled under layers of thick blankets, as there was no heat in the room. There were radiators, but since no boiler was running, no steam reached the radiators and no matter how many times we turned the knob, it didn't work! The Inn was called Casa do Cruceiro, and had three bedrooms on the second floor. On the first floor were the reception area and the dining room, and a few steps down was the kitchen and a bar. The walls in the Inn were about two feet thick, and the outside layer was finished in big stone blocks. With the walls so thick, I guess the temperature stayed about even all year round inside, as there also were shutters for the windows. A cozy and very nice place, and the lady was eager to please! The next morning we gathered in the bar for breakfast, which consisted of toast with jelly and coffee of course. Our rooms were searched for any leftover items, the bill was paid, and soon the car was loaded and we waved bye to the nice lady. Through some incredibly narrow village lanes we drove, and eventually we ended up out by the bigger road and headed northwest towards new adventures.

By late afternoon on Wednesday, October 23 we arrived back to Bayona after a couple of days on the road. We had seen some more of both the Spanish and Portuguese country-sides and it had been a very rewarding trip with lots of beautiful sights. The rental car was returned, and the serious business of continuing our sailing south now occupied our thoughts. We kept checking the weather-on-line and maybe on Sunday we would have a small window of light wind from a pretty good direction, so the boat was prepared to go to sea again. By 0800 on Sunday, October 27 we had pulled up our anchor and our friend Tom did the same with his boat XTC. We were finally leaving Bayona, and who would have thought we would get stuck there for almost three weeks; better there of course than on the other side of the Bay of Biscay! As soon as we were out in the open sea west of Bayona, the wind came right on our nose, quite strong at times, so we motored. Eventually the wind slowed to nothing, before it changed to northeast and 10-15 knots, which was great sailing for us. During the first night the wind disappeared totally, so the engine was started again, and so we continued all that night, all day and night on Monday, and by Tuesday morning we had reached 182 miles farther south to the port as Cascais in Portugal. There we filled up our fuel-tanks and took into the marina for a few days. We had lost Tom on our way there; when we were motoring during no wind, Tom tried to sail, so we got farther and farther apart and soon we could not communicate on the VHF radio. By the time we reached Cascais, Tom went into a port about 40 miles farther north in Peniche, we found out later through the email! Since it would be southwesterly winds for a few days, Tom never made it down to Cascais where we were, but we kept in contact through email.

Since we had a few days in Cascais, we found out that we could take a local bus up into the mountains, where some beautiful palaces from the royal era were situated. I had never thought of Portugal as having royalty, but it seemed they did as late as the beginning of this past century, when a dictator, Salazar, took over and ruled the country for quite a few years. On April 25, 1974 a revolution restored Portugal to a democracy and as to commemorate that important moment in Portuguese history, the huge bridge in Lisbon, which spans the Tagus river, was changed to bear the name of that date! I am getting ahead of myself, so back to our bus-ride up into the mountains at Sintra! As the bus wound its way down the narrow road into Sintra Vila, the first thing I noticed was two conical chimneys, that stuck up in the air. Those chimneys belonged to the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, and that's where we wanted to go and have a look! The main part of the palace was built in the late 14th century on a site once occupied by Moorish rulers. Additions to the palace was made at later dates and resulted in an amalgamation of various different styles. The palace was occupied by the royal court as a summer retreat as late as 1880, as the surrounding area was nice and cool in the summer heat. Sintra is located on the northern slopes of Serra Mountains, among wooded ravines and fresh water springs! Since we were there on All Saints Day, the entrance fee to see the inside of the castle was waived, and we could walk at our own leisurely pace through all the magnificent rooms. We saw enormously intricate details on tiles and on woodwork in every room, but even so the most impressive spot of the palace to me was the kitchen and the two conical chimneys. You could look straight up into the chimneys, and from the height and size of them Dan thought they would pull an enormous draught. No wonder they could grill succulent pigs on spits inside on the floor! Along one entire wall of the kitchen were numerous stoves, and in one corner were huge ovens. Enormous copper kettles were used for cooking, and they all glistened and gleamed in the daylight, which seeped in through the windows. This is where the royal food was prepared, and it almost still smelled of food in the air, or was it my imagination running wild again!

Palacio Nacional de Sintra was a beautiful palace, but nothing in comparison to Palacio da Pena! Another bus-ride up to the top of the mountain brought us to the gates for Palacio da Pena. From the gate we rode on yet another smaller bus, as it was still quite a hike up to the entrance to the palace. Once the bus stopped below the palace, I stepped out and was in total awe of the place above me! To use the guide books description of the place: "On the highest peaks of the Serra de Sintra stands the spectacular palace of Pena, an eclectic medley of architectural styles built in the 19th century for the husband of the young Queen Maria II. It stands over the ruins of a Hieronymite monastery founded here in the 15th century on the site of the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Pena. The Queen's husband, Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, appointed a German architect to build his summer palace filled with oddities from all over the world and surrounded by a park. With the declaration of the Republic in 1910, the palace became a museum, preserved as it was when the royal family lived here."

Towers, turrets, cupolas and spires seemed to reach high into the air everywhere from the palace buildings, which were painted the original colors of daffodil yellow and strawberry pink. To reach the higher courtyard, we first had to walk through two entrance arches. The first entrance arch was covered in beautifully decorated tiles and the main arch into the castle was sort of studded. As we made our way up to the courtyard, the first thing I noticed there was The Triton Arch with its fierce looking sea monster. A tour of the interior of the palace revealed such wealth and beauty in every room, but the most impressive room to me was the "porcelain" room. Everything in it was made of beautifully painted porcelain, from a rocking chair, clothes rack, tilted mirror, a dresser, lamps, to ladies toiletries and ornaments. After our tour on the inside of the palace, Dan and I walked around the outside on a walkway, which wound its way around the palace. From this walkway we had a magnificent view down on the valley below and we could even see the Atlantic farther to the west. I could also see low clouds working their way up the mountain, and soon the palace would be hidden among the clouds. It was time for us to find our way back down to Sintra and the bus which would take us back to Cascais.

We opted to take another bus route back, and this tour brought us out to Cabo da Roca, where a lighthouse stands on top of an impressive cliff 459 feet high, and which marks the most westerly point of the European mainland. Since we had passed by this particular spot in our boat a few days earlier, we never got off the bus to have a closer look. I get enough of the sea when we are on it, so I don't seek it out when I am on land! Before dark we had arrived in Cascais, and after a quick check of the weather-on-line, we walked back to our boat and a happy Duke! The weather looked good for our continuing journey on Sunday, and that meant we still had one whole day left in Portugal. A guided trip of Lisbon seemed in order, so I signed us up for the next afternoon.

The bus for Lisbon would pick us up at 1330, so before then we had to get the boat ready again. Food was bought and stored onboard, the instrument checked, and so it was time to lock Duke inside the boat, which he is not happy about and hurries to his "pouting" spot on the couch. A small van picked us up outside the marina entrance, and before we hurried off to the big city, five other persons also came onboard. We were brought to Pombal Square, where lots of other small and big busses waited for their sightseers. We ended up in the back of a full-size bus, where the guide spoke both Portuguese and English, and by 1430 we started our whirlwind tour of Lisbon. As the bus worked its way towards the river, we saw the impressive structure of the Aqueduto das Aguas Livres, which was being built at the end of the 18th century, but not finished until the 19th century. Even so it was bringing in fresh water to the city by 1748. The bus crossed the river Tagus on Ponte 25 de Abril to show us the bridge and a huge statue of Christ on the other side. The statue of Christo Rei is 92 feet high and sits on top of a 269 feet high pedestal. The statue of Christ stands with his arms stretched out and between his fingertips there is also 92 feet. A very impressive sight! Our first stop was at the Museu Nacional dos Coches, where the finest collection of royal coaches is housed. Our next stop was at Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, to admire the beautiful architectural work in the monastery. Here we also saw the tomb of Vasco da Gama. The South Portal with all its beautiful small statues and decoration was so impressive, and I hope my picture does it justice! At Torre de Belem we had only ten minutes to hurry up and take pictures, and there we lost to slowpokes. Originally the tower was built as a fortress in the middle of the Tagus river in 1515-21, but since then the river has silted in and now the tower is not far from the edge of land. A quick walk out to the tower for a picture and back to the bus ten minutes later was do-able, but two ladies never made it back. The bus and guide waited another five minutes for them, but then we left for our next stop. I felt kind of sorry for the ladies, but they knew when to return and brought their misery upon themselves! A ten minutes photo stop at the Monument to the Discoveries we also had, and there I could have stayed longer. The Monument was so impressive and the huge statues on either side were very lifelike, but I didn't know then that the figures were different on each side. As it was I took pictures only on the western side, but at least I got Henry the Navigator in mine, as he is seen from either side! On the north side of the monument, a huge mariners compass is cut into the paving stone, and in the central map, dotted with galleons and mermaids, shows the routes of the discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries. In this area we were warned about pick-pockets, but we made it back to the bus without any incidence!

The bus now followed the river till we reached the Alfama district. Alfama is the oldest area in Lisbon and here the Moors lived in tight quarters around the fortified castle. The area was once the most desirable quarters in Lisbon, but as the seed of decline were sown in the Middle Ages, the wealthy residents started moving west for fear of earthquakes, leaving the quarters to fishermen and paupers. Long overdue restorations are under way in the most dilapidated areas, but we noticed repair staging that looked like it had become permanent fixtures in some alleyways. Even so it was a fascinating experience to walk along the small narrow street, and I had a feeling of being in a "casbah" in Morocco! Our guide brought us to the beginning of Jewish Street, where she stopped and explained a little about Alfama. The street continued uphill and to our left was the smallest apartment in the quarters. The apartment seemed to have been added on as an afterthought to another building. It was very narrow, no more than six feet wide, a little longer and higher and had only one narrow window, where an old man and his dog peered out at us. The shape of the apartment was like a wedge of cheese, and on the narrow end was the door. I wonder if the man had to go in sideways in order to get through? In the Alfama quarters we were supposed to get a taste of port wine, which we did in a big souvenir shop. Obviously, there was some kind of cahoots between the owner of the store and the sightseeing company, otherwise we would never have been taken there! Those who wanted to were welcome to purchase anything, but since I already had bought a beautiful Portuguese Rooster, I didn't want to buy anything else! We were running out of daylight on our tour, so we got only a very quick and limited visit to the Alfama, before we were brought back to the bus, driven through the business section of Lisbon and back to our waiting van, which brought us back to Cascais. At least we had seen some of the most famous sights of Lisbon and can truly say we have been there!

The weather looked good for our journey to continue the next day, and that same day Tom and XTC would head out from Peniche, where they had laid up. Our crossing of the Atlantic would begin as soon as we left Portugal behind, even though we planned to stop in Morocco, before continuing out to the Canary Islands and farther west. Those adventures will be told in my next story, so here our European tour is ending.